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Menuconfig Guide

ESP-IDF's menuconfig is the primary tool for configuring Espilon firmware before building.

Launching Menuconfig

cd espilon_bot
. ~/esp/esp-idf/export.sh  # or: get_idf
idf.py menuconfig

This opens an ncurses-based configuration menu.

  • Arrow Keys: Move up/down
  • Enter: Select submenu or toggle option
  • Space: Toggle checkbox options
  • Y: Enable option
  • N: Disable option
  • /: Search for option
  • ?: Help for selected option
  • S: Save configuration
  • Q: Quit (prompts to save)

Espilon Configuration

Navigate to: Espilon Bot Configuration

Device Settings

├─ Device ID: "ce4f626b"

Purpose: Unique identifier for this device Format: 8 hexadecimal characters Example: "a1b2c3d4"

Generate Random ID

openssl rand -hex 4

Network Mode

├─ Network
│   ├─ Connection Mode
│   │   ├─ ( ) WiFi
│   │   └─ ( ) GPRS

WiFi Mode (default): - For ESP32-DevKit and most boards - Requires WiFi SSID and password - 802.11 b/g/n support

GPRS Mode: - For LilyGO T-Call only - Requires SIM card and APN - 2G cellular connectivity

WiFi Settings

│   ├─ WiFi Settings (depends on WiFi mode)
│   │   ├─ WiFi SSID: "YourNetwork"
│   │   └─ WiFi Password: "YourPassword"

SSID: Name of WiFi network Password: WPA/WPA2 password (leave empty for open networks)

GPRS Settings

│   ├─ GPRS Settings (depends on GPRS mode)
│   │   └─ APN: "sl2sfr"

APN: Access Point Name from your carrier

Common APNs: - SFR (France): sl2sfr - Orange (France): orange.fr - AT&T (USA): phone - T-Mobile (USA): fast.t-mobile.com

Server Configuration

├─ Server
│   ├─ Server IP: "192.168.1.100"
│   └─ Server Port: 2626

Server IP: IP address of your C2 server Server Port: TCP port (default 2626)

Public IP for GPRS

GPRS mode requires a public IP or VPN. Local IPs (192.168.x.x) won't work.

Module Selection

├─ Modules
│   ├─ [X] Network Commands
│   ├─ [ ] Recon Commands
│   └─ [ ] Fake Access Point Commands

Network Module (recommended): - ping, arp_scan, port_scan - Basic network operations - ~40KB flash

Recon Module (advanced): - WiFi monitoring - BLE tracking - Requires extra flash/RAM

FakeAP Module (advanced): - Rogue access points - Captive portals - Requires WiFi mode

Recon Module Settings

├─ Recon Settings (depends on Recon Module)
│   ├─ [ ] Enable Camera Reconnaissance
│   └─ [ ] Enable BLE Trilateration Reconnaissance

Camera: Requires ESP32-CAM board BLE: Bluetooth Low Energy tracking

Security Settings

├─ Security
│   ├─ ChaCha20 Key (32 bytes): "testde32chars..."
│   └─ ChaCha20 Nonce (12 bytes): "noncenonceno"

Change Default Keys

Default keys are for testing only. Generate new keys for production: 

# 32-byte key
openssl rand -hex 32

# 12-byte nonce
openssl rand -hex 12

Important ESP-IDF Settings

Flash Size

Navigate to: Serial flasher config → Flash size

Set according to your board: - Most boards: 4MB - Some boards: 8MB or 16MB

Partition Table

Navigate to: Partition Table → Partition Table

Recommended: Single factory app, no OTA

For OTA updates: Factory app, two OTA definitions

Log Level

Navigate to: Component config → Log output → Default log verbosity

Development: Info or Debug Production: Warning or Error

WiFi Configuration

Navigate to: Component config → Wi-Fi

Recommended settings: - WiFi Task Core ID: Core 0 - Max Number of Connections: 4 - WiFi NVS Flash: Enabled

FreeRTOS

Navigate to: Component config → FreeRTOS

Default settings work for most cases.

For memory-constrained boards: - Tick rate (Hz): 100 (default 1000) - Minimum task stack size: 1024 (default 1536)

Configuration File

Configuration is saved to: 

espilon_bot/sdkconfig

This file is auto-generated from sdkconfig.defaults.

Using sdkconfig.defaults

Create sdkconfig.defaults for version control:

# Device
CONFIG_DEVICE_ID="ce4f626b"

# Network
CONFIG_NETWORK_WIFI=y
CONFIG_WIFI_SSID="MyNetwork"
CONFIG_WIFI_PASS="MyPassword"

# Server
CONFIG_SERVER_IP="192.168.1.100"
CONFIG_SERVER_PORT=2626

# Modules
CONFIG_MODULE_NETWORK=y
CONFIG_MODULE_RECON=n
CONFIG_MODULE_FAKEAP=n

# Security
CONFIG_CRYPTO_KEY="testde32chars00000000000000000000"
CONFIG_CRYPTO_NONCE="noncenonceno"

Then: 

rm sdkconfig  # Force regeneration
idf.py -D SDKCONFIG_DEFAULTS=sdkconfig.defaults reconfigure
idf.py build

Common Configurations

WiFi Development Board

Network Mode: WiFi
WiFi SSID: "YourLab"
WiFi Pass: "LabPassword"
Server IP: "192.168.1.100"
Modules: Network only

LilyGO T-Call GPRS

Network Mode: GPRS
GPRS APN: "sl2sfr"
Server IP: "203.0.113.10" (public IP)
Modules: Network only

ESP32-CAM Recon

Network Mode: WiFi
WiFi SSID: "YourNetwork"
Modules: Network + Recon
Recon Camera: Enabled

Troubleshooting

Configuration Not Saved

Problem: Changes revert after rebuild

Solution: Press S to save before quitting

Module Option Missing

Problem: Can't find Espilon configuration

Solution: Ensure you're in espilon_bot directory, not root

Build Fails After Config Change

Problem: Compilation errors after enabling module

Solution: Clean and rebuild: 

idf.py fullclean
idf.py build

Default Values Wrong

Problem: menuconfig shows old defaults

Solution: Delete sdkconfig and regenerate: 

rm sdkconfig
idf.py menuconfig

Next Steps

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